Feature Preview: Timers Enhanced
11/30/2014 < Previous Next >
With SongShow Plus 8.2, the Timers feature has been enhanced.Fundamentally, the Timers code has been upgraded to use the newer SongShow Plus video interfaces. This lets timers be used in all places that a video is used. Previously, Timers were treated as a special type of video object and were limited to being presented only as a primary media item.
Now, timers can be used not only as primary media items, but also as a background video, an Overlay Improv video, fills for objects, and can be embedded into a slide show.
The Timers feature has also been enhanced with the new option letting you specify a timer that will countdown to the next quarter, half, or whole hour.
One important change to note: There will no longer be a Timers media files panel. Timers will now be created within the Videos media panel. If your system already has Timers that you have created, these will be automatically copied to a Timers subfolder within the SongShow plus Videos fold.
(BE300)
Comments:
12/24/2014 11:10:41 AM
Hooray!!! I've been waiting for this for ages -- like the coming of the Messiah 
This will eliminate several wish list items, e.g. "Timer as a motion background."
Thanks so much. Merry Christmas to you too.
This will eliminate several wish list items, e.g. "Timer as a motion background."
Thanks so much. Merry Christmas to you too.
12/29/2014 3:10:57 PM
So When does 8.2 Get released?
12/30/2014 1:25:04 PM
8.2 is now available.
1/6/2015 8:40:20 AM
I have tried the new, enhanced, timer and find that the idea is great and will be very useful. However, I am disappointed that the same old, klutzy, design panel is used to make the timer itself: only 16 colors available, very limited positioning of text and timer, few fill options, and a practically non-existent text shadow. Admittedly, this will usually be used to just make the numerical countdown, which will then be sized and positioned on a slide and/or video so the actual timer position, etc. will be of little consequence, but more advanced formatting would be helpful. The availability of the timer as a video object is really an important improvement, but why the timer design capability itself wasn't also improved is beyond me. Maybe in an upcoming revision?
1/6/2015 5:45:47 PM
What fill options where you expecting?
1/7/2015 9:59:33 AM
Decent shadows, standard colors (16 doesn't cut it any longer), positioning of text and timers at any location, etc. Admittedly, the most important use of the enhanced timer will be just the use of the timer itself, so other text and its position will be determined by its use as a "video." That said, being able to select what the timer looks like (colors, style, texture, shadow) is quite important. An analog clock option would also be nice, but I didn't expect it on the first iteration. 
1/7/2015 3:07:24 PM
Dick,
My question was specifically about fill, and for that, what I came away with from your answer is more colors. I agree that the color selection should have been upgraded to be consistent with the rest of the color selectors within the application, so I expect that this will happen before production release. As you have correctly concluded, the best use of the timers feature now is to embed a timer within a slide show, and use the slide show features to customize background, position, shadow, effects, text, etc. The features that are there now are just legacy settings carried over from the 5.x version of this module.
My question was specifically about fill, and for that, what I came away with from your answer is more colors. I agree that the color selection should have been upgraded to be consistent with the rest of the color selectors within the application, so I expect that this will happen before production release. As you have correctly concluded, the best use of the timers feature now is to embed a timer within a slide show, and use the slide show features to customize background, position, shadow, effects, text, etc. The features that are there now are just legacy settings carried over from the 5.x version of this module.
1/8/2015 3:34:10 PM
Thanks, Doug. Since the shadow must be applied when making the timer, I think that some of the standard shadow properties (direction, style, blur, etc.) should be available at that point.
1/8/2015 3:36:17 PM
I meant to add that this is a good addition that can be made better with a few more 'tweaks'.
1/8/2015 4:05:26 PM
Posted By Dick Akins on 08 Jan 2015 03:34 PM
Thanks, Doug. Since the shadow must be applied when making the timer, I think that some of the standard shadow properties (direction, style, blur, etc.) should be available at that point.
That's not true. You can use the regular shadow effect on a timer (and any video for that matter) just as you would text.
That shadow setting for the timer is somewhat redundant and this conversation is making me think that it should be removed altogether to avoid confusion.
1/9/2015 12:39:54 PM
Doug, you are right --of course! I would have never suspected that properties could be applied to the text within a video. Does that work with any text lines used in the timer itself?
1/12/2015 2:30:07 PM
Posted By Dick Akins on 09 Jan 2015 12:39 PM
Doug, you are right --of course! I would have never suspected that properties could be applied to the text within a video. Does that work with any text lines used in the timer itself?
The properties can be applied to any video, and from the slide's perspective, the timer is just a video. When you apply affects to the video, everything is affected, including the text. This is why it's best to use the object properties shadow effect rather than the shadow setting in the timer when you're using it as an embedded video in a slide.